The Olympics by Girginov, Vassil;

Short description:

This book represents a unique, critical guide to the definitive sporting mega-event and the wider phenomenon it represents – Olympism. Combining classic texts and thoughtful editorial discussion with challenging new pieces, including previously unseen material, the book systematically addresses the key questions in modern Olympism. The Olympics: A Critical Reader is essential reading for students of the Olympics and Olympism, the sociology of sport, sport management and cultural studies.

Long description:

The Olympics: A Critical Reader represents a unique, critical guide to the definitive sporting mega-event and the wider phenomenon it represents – Olympism. Combining classic texts and thoughtful editorial discussion with challenging new pieces, including previously unseen material, the book systematically addresses the key questions in modern Olympism, including:

• what does studying Olympism entail?








• how do historical accounts create and challenge Olympic myths?








• how do different theoretical perspectives inform our understanding of Olympism?








• which socio-political processes influence personal, collective and imagined Olympic identities?








• how do we experience and make sense of Olympism?








• who owns Olympism and why does it matter?








• how do cities compete for and celebrate the Olympics?








• How are the Olympic values promoted?








• why is it important to protect the ethical principles and properties of Olympism?








• what are the grounds for contesting Olympism?








• how can Olympism be taught?








• how can the principles and practices of Olympism be sustained in the future?

Each thematic part has been designed to include a range of views, including background treatment of an issue as well as critical scholarship, to ensure that students develop a well-rounded understanding of the Olympic phenomenon. The Olympics: A Critical Reader is essential reading for students of the Olympics and Olympism, the sociology of sport, sport management and cultural studies.

Table of Contents:

Introduction  Part 1: Studying Olympism  1. Studying Olympism  Part 2: Documenting Olympism  2. Post-Olympism: Questioning Olympic historiography  3. From Olympia 776 BC to Athens 2004: The Origins and Authenticity of the Modern Olympic Games  4. Olympic Games and Historical Imagination  Part 3: Theorising Olympism  5. A Never-Ending Story: The Philosophical Controversy Over Olympism  6. Olympic Games and the Theory of Spectacle in Modern Societies  7. The Olympics and ‘Global Citizenship’  Part 4: Negotiating Olympic Identities  8. Hellenism and Olympism: Pierre de Coubertin and the Greek Challenges to the Early Olympic Movement  9. Staging the Nation: Gendered and Ethnicized Discourses of National Identity in Olympic Opening Ceremonies  Part 5: Imagining Olympism  10. Meet the "Framers": the Olympic Producers  11. Olympic Museum  12. Paralympic "Lived History": Reflections of a Participant-Observer  Part 6: Owning Olympism  13. A Brief Overview of the Olympic System  14. Who Owns the Olympics? Political Economy and Critical Moments in the Modern Games  15. On Seizing the Olympic Platform  Part 7: Staging the Olympics  16. Financing of the Games: Interests, Winners and Losers  17. Olympic Cities: Regeneration, City Rebranding and Changing Urban Agendas  Part 8: Promoting Olympism  18. ‘Celebrate Humanity’ or ‘Consumerism’: A Critical Evaluation of a Brand in Motion  19. Symbolism and the Effectiveness of Olympic Mascots  Part 9: Safeguarding Olympism  20. Why Olympic Athletes Should Avoid the Use and Seek the Elimination of Performance-Enhancing Substances and Practices From the Olympic Games  21. Mega Events, Fear and Risk: Terrorism at the Olympic Games  22. Faster, Higher, Stronger: The Protection of Olympic Marks Leading up to Vancouver 2010  Part 10: Contesting Olympism  23. Does One-World Olympic Ideology Lead to Multiculturalism?  24. Olympic Impacts on Bid and Host Cities  Part 11: Teaching Olympism  25. "Olympism" Revisited as Context for Global Education: Implications for Physical Education  26. Didactic Approaches to Teaching Olympic Education  Part 12: Sustaining Olympism  27. The Making of the IOC environmental Policy as the Third Dimension of the Olympic Movement  28. A Sustainable Sports Legacy: Creating a Link Between the London Olympics and Sports Participation